A Ripple Effect
by RCap
Summary: A collection of Romitri AU short stories and one shots. Some stories will have violent and/or sexual themes included in them (M warning in place for these). Stories will range from AH to the supernatural. Currently: Blood and Bones - an illegal fighting ring and a forbidden love.
1. Blood and Bones Part l

_**Blood and Bones Part l**_

* * *

 ** _AU / AH_**

 _Dimitri Belikov: a man with a violent temper and an urge to belong. He fights for the illustrious Ibrahim Mazur in exchange for a steady and high income. But he didn't intend for a forbidden affair to put his life in danger._

 _Rose Mazur: an enigma that enthrals anyone around her – including one Dimitri Belikov. She has everything she could ever want, all except a certain Russian though._

 _*Mature Themes and Language Warning*_

* * *

Ibrahim ' _Zmey_ ' Mazur was most commonly known as the owner of one of the largest property development companies in America. Abe possessed not only several acres of raw land that he planned to build on, but also abandoned or empty buildings that had renovation potential. Every month or so, Abe held extravagant and invite-only events to attract interest in these empty properties.

Well, that was what the local law enforcement was led to believe.

What truly happened behind those closed and safeguarded doors was far more immoral than fundraising. Week after week; and month after month; men and women flocked to the abandoned and isolated venues which promised them an evening of money, booze and pure aggression.

And aggression is what they got.

There were plenty of legal and regulated fights in the city, but they lacked the danger and the same winnings that the illegal rings did.

 _Mazur Enterprises_ was a key player in the illegal fight clubs that plagued America. Entire task forces had been set up within Police and Government Agencies to decimate the dangerous underground fight clubs. It wasn't just the leaders of the rings these agencies were after either; anyone who merely _attended_ Mazur's events or others was essentially committing a crime.

Of course, the possibility of prosecution had never deterred _Zmey_. The illustrious and bloodthirsty 'businessman' was compared regularly to some of the most notorious gangsters that had ever graced the cities of America, dating all the way back to the Prohibition era – and he dressed like it too. In his eyes and that of his fleet of lawyers, he owned the properties the fights occurred on – nothing was wrong with that.

Abe had been involved in the Turkish Mob since he was a young boy. When he immigrated to America as a young adult, he never dropped his ties to the Mob nor did he want to. Under the illusion that he was a wealthy and honest businessman, Abe took Northeast America and made it his playground.

When his fights had become big enough, he handed _Mazur Enterprises_ into the capable hands of his wife, Janine, and began dedicating all of his time and effort into these said fights and any other illegal extracurricular activities that he may have enjoyed. He began enlisting ruthless fighters from all over the country. They weren't just men desperate for money anymore, but men _and_ women who were trained or could be trained. The fighters had to be in peak physical condition – they were even required to sign a waiver that stated they understood the grievous bodily harm they would both inflict and receive during their time inside the ring.

Those said risks normally fell on deaf ears once the fighters knew how much money they were fighting for. Most fights had a prize pool big enough to set the winner up for life.

Dimitri Belikov was not one of those men, however. Dimitri had been discovered during a celebration held by Mazur's fighters after a "fundraiser", in which he had propelled himself into a bar fight with some of the said fighters. Abe's men had watched with awe – and even a dash of horror – as Dimitri dispatched his opponents with nothing more than solid hooks. When they had discovered just how _plastered_ Dimitri had been during the bust-up, they were sure he was exactly the type of recruit their boss was constantly searching for.

With Dimitri's mind on the money and what it could do for his family back in Russia, he'd accepted Abe's proposition. His family was by no means starving, but a little extra money to stop his mama from working two jobs wouldn't go astray.

What Dimitri hadn't expected when he shook hands with the businessman, was to become caught up in a game of sex, love and violence. But it was exactly what he got.

Mazur's fights had reached a point where they had become the pinnacle of Ibrahim's entire company. His fights were unsanctioned, unregulated, and most importantly, without any guidelines. Money circulated through the fights like water did through pipes. If you picked your fighters well, you won big. But those who bet big on the wrong fighters lost everything plus some.

That was where Abe enlisted the men he trusted most to do some collecting for him. The team worked closely with him, normally providing personal security at the same time. But he felt he was missing something from the team. Pavel and Johnson were strong and intimidating men, but beyond anything else, Abe enjoyed seeing the fear and panic in the eyes of whoever Dimitri Belikov faced. He planned to harness that terror Dimitri could inflict, and push it onto the gamblers that had the audacity to skip out of their collections.

That was how Dimitri became caught up in the world of money and power. He'd begun as a recruit – fighting and earning major money on the side – to serving on Abe's most vital and trusted team.

Among earning more money and respect than he had ever thought possible in such a profession, it wasn't what made him stay in the job. Because besides being introduced to the money, it was also how Dimitri was introduced to _her_.

* * *

The abandoned cotton mill on Aurora Avenue normally instilled a chilling impression on whoever passed it, but when a Thursday landed on the first day of the month, that unnerving silence was broken by the cries and chants of hundreds of wealthy spectators – spectators who were dressed as if they were going to the opera rather than an illegal fight.

Aurora Avenue was merely only one of Ibrahim's many sites where he hosted these events. He passed the fights around his properties to avoid bringing too much attention to the sites that were meant to be empty.

The cotton mill was the biggest and most popular ring he had created. The punters sometimes even crossed state lines to see the fights – as they were also his most spectacular.

That night, the three families that controlled the underworld streets of Northeast America had gathered for the show that Mazur was putting on for them. The _Mazur_ family had promised bloodshed; the _Lazar_ family had thrown their hat in the ring, and the _Dashkov_ family was perfectly content in watching the battle from above and reaping its benefits.

From the confines of the old and run down staff locker room, Dimitri sat and listened to the screams and shouts of spectators as men before him pummelled each other into unrecognizable messes. He inhaled deeply to calm his nerves but was gifted with the stench of sweat that could have passed for days old. The smell didn't usually bother him, but that night he was being forced to stay put in the locker room and wait until he was called.

He hated having to wait until last. Normally there would be fights he would participate in through the night – heats as such – that determined who fought in the final. But it was different this time. It was a particularly special night to Ibrahim Mazur. It was a night where he would be showing off Dimitri's brutality and skill against whoever the Lazar family deemed fit.

Dimitri was his show pony for the night, but the payout was overwhelming. He was more than willing to play along with Ibrahim's game if it meant that he would be able to bring his entire family over for Christmas if he won.

But Dimitri hadn't been told whom he would be fighting. No one but the Lazar family knew who his opponent was. It would be kept secret up until they faced each other inside the ring.

In an attempt to control his biting nerves, Dimitri imagined that he was anywhere but at the cotton mill. Unsurprisingly, his mind travelled back to two weeks prior. He rewatched the _Mazur Enterprises_ Christmas party through closed eyes.

It had gotten messy, as those parties always did. When you mixed that much alcohol with men that fought for a living, it could only be expected they would begin holding their own fights. But Dimitri didn't focus on the drunken brawl section of the night. No. He focused entirely on the movements of the women – or more so, one woman in particular.

He conjured up an array of memories from that night – memories of his eyes running over the soft and supple skin that was left exposed by her dress as she chatted and danced. He reimagined _her_ eyes as they bore into his – the lust in them burning holes into his mind, as her lips would curl in a sultry smile.

He sat in silence as he let the memories consume him to the point he was completely emersed in them. It didn't take much at all for his mind to be transported from the party to the more carnal events of that night.

At that point, Dimitri was completely lost in his fantasy. He was no longer sure what was real or what was imaginary. Either way, he also hadn't realized how much time had passed.

He was abruptly and annoyingly shaken back to the present.

Ice blue eyes bore into his own and Dimitri had to swallow the lump in his throat just to be able to speak once more.

"Snap out of it, Belikov. You're up," Christian Ozera smiled excitedly while bouncing on the balls of his feet – clearly unable to hide his anticipation for the upcoming fight.

Dimitri sighed softly, frustrated that his handler had taken up all his vision space.

They used the term 'handler' as slang within Mazur's organization. It was a job that entailed the maintenance and care of Abe Mazur's fighters. The 'handlers' were really just glorified personal trainers. Each handler had on average four or five fighters for which they had to create training schedules and organize meal plans for.

However, due to Ibrahim's favouritism over a certain Russian and his position within collecting, Dimitri was the only fighter under Christian's care.

Dimitri reluctantly got to his feet. He shook out his wrists and cracked the bones in his neck before following Christian through the mill's abandoned halls. Dimitri could hear the cries getting loud and louder. With another fight in its final moments, the crowd was beginning to erupt into a frenzied fit. No one wanted to lose money on their bets, but Dimitri always wondered if they knew the shouting was rarely able to ignite a fighter who was close to being knocked out, especially when most of the men tuned out everything around them except their opponent.

Dimitri emerged at the edge of the makeshift ring just as another of Mazur's fighters delivered a final blow to his opponent. The hit sent him spiralling down to the hard concrete floor in a spray of blood.

With half of the surrounding crowd throwing abuse at the unconscious fighter on the ground, Eddie Castile exulted in the other half chanting his name. Raising his bloodied and torn knuckles into the air, a further outcry blossomed from yet _another_ Mazur win.

When the announcements had been completed and the delirious fighter had been peeled from the ground, Dimitri was ushered into the ring to stand opposite his newest opponent.

Dimitri hadn't expected the Lazar family to pull _this_ move. He had to refrain from outright laughing in his opponent's face.

Reed Lazar was the little prince of the Lazar family. He was a strong fighter from what Dimitri knew of him, but what he had in strength, he lacked in experience and skill. As far as Dimitri knew, Reed hadn't stepped into such a brutal ring before – let alone for a year straight like Dimitri had been.

Shaking hands with Reed, Dimitri could see the sudden flash of reluctance in his grey eyes. Dimitri knew he was looked intimidating. He was nothing but solid muscle and height. He had rope after rope of muscle that covered his body, and he always seemed to carry a dark and threatening look in his eyes wherever he went. He secretly revelled in seeing the fear projected in an opponent's eyes.

While turning back to face Christian, Dimitri grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it off in one fluid motion. That was when his eyes caught onto her.

The red dress in a sea of black was like seeing daylight after being lost in caves for days.

It was his _salvation_ to see that colour.

She was above ground and situated in the improvised VIP balcony. What used to be the managerial offices back when the mill was in operation was now a ledge – created solely for those who were important or didn't want their presence wildly known. From the balcony, they could watch the fights without being pushed or touched, as well as keeping their invisibility.

The balcony had proved to have a perfect birds eye viewing point for those who Abe considered were important enough. That meant that _she_ was always up there. While Abe's fighting ring may be the crown of his operation, she was the jewels encrusted into it. As Ibrahim Mazur's daughter, Rosemarie Mazur was always on the balcony. Those precious Louboutins never touched the same concrete as everyone else's shoes did.

But as good as the view was from above, Dimitri found it to be just as good from below. As always, Dimitri struggled to take his eyes off the brunette beauty above.

Whenever Dimitri gazed upon Mazur's daughter, he felt as if all the air was being ripped from his lungs and his feet kicked out from underneath him. She was simply breathtaking. Everything else around him would fade into murmurs and blurs, and he could only watch breathlessly as she made her way to the edge of the balcony.

In the space of a millisecond though, all of Dimitri's air was shoved roughly back down his throat – as well as a stowaway of jealousy.

The jealousy coursed through his veins like venom. He didn't even have a chance to catch himself before a sneer began to show across his face.

He stared up at Rose as his cousin, the promiscuous Adrian Ivashkov, came up behind her. He wrapped one arm possessively around her waist while the other reached up to hold her chin between his fingers. Dimitri's blood burned as he watched Adrian brush his lips against Rose's cheekbone – a cruel smile dancing on his face. To any onlookers, the kiss would appear as an innocent show of affection between two people in love – but it was vastly anything but.

Adrian and Rose stared down at Dimitri in the ring as he glared back up. Dimitri knew the kiss was anything but _innocent_ affection. Adrian was taunting him. He had what Dimitri wanted.

Still trapped by her gaze, Dimitri watched intently as Rose brought her forefinger and thumb to her lips, creating a whistle that was faint to _him_ but caught the attention of her intended target.

The bookie wandering around collecting money and giving out stubs looked up from the ground floor as she mouthed her bet. Her lips unmistakably conveyed " _Belikov_ " before holding her palm up and displaying five perfectly manicured fingers. She was placing her bet on Dimitri – and Mazur's events increased in increments of _tens of thousands_ , not just tens of dollars.

 _Fifty thousand_ dollars of her own money was riding on him winning this fight. Dimitri would be dammed if he let her down.

Seeing the silent clash between Dimitri and his boss' daughter, Christian nudged his shoulder into the fighter and ripped his attention away from the floor above.

Christian always swore up and down to his girlfriend that there was something going on between Dimitri and Rose. He couldn't ignore the looks that he would occasionally spot them giving one another. But if anyone had of known of there being a romance between the two, it would have been Lissa – Rose's best friend.

One thing he knew for sure though, was the faux relationship his friend was in.

"You know they aren't actually sleeping together, right? It's just for show," Christian said, attempting some sort of reassurance after noticing the anger on Dimitri's face.

He, among the others in his tight-knit group from their schooling days, knew that the relationship between Rose and Adrian was purely for show. Rose had been very open with them about Adrian wanting to get his name out and claimed her incentive was independence.

Ibrahim Mazur was a protective man who had rarely let his daughter grow up with her own dreams or choices. She, like Christian and Lissa, had been put into the prestigious and safeguarded boarding school, _St Vladimir's_. "The place where freedom went to die", as Rose had often referred to the school as.

Christian only wanted his childhood friend to be happy. But everyone knew how precious Mazur's daughter was to him. Dimitri was part of Abe's most trusted team. There would be no way in hell that a relationship between Rose and Dimitri would have been accepted in Abe's eyes.

Dimitri was well aware that Rose and Adrian weren't a real couple. It was true that Adrian wanted his name out and in the underworld. He wanted to be known in their world, and being the beau of Ibrahim Mazur's daughter meant that his name would be on many lips. He agreed to create a for-show relationship where he could get the recognition he wanted.

But Dimitri knew the _true_ incentive she got from the charade. Along with her independence, Rose had a solid and reliable reason for being a consistent visitor at the unit that Dimitri and Adrian both shared.

In fact, earlier that morning it had been _Dimitri's_ bed that Rose had left stinking of sex and aftershave – the same way she had been leaving it for the past year.

Rose was considered downright forbidden fruit to anyone in the organisation – fruit that Dimitri had been indulging in enough to get him killed.

Dimitri rolled his shoulders before speaking. "I know that. But it helps get me angry."

Shaking his head, Christian produced a lazy smirk. "Working?"

"Always does."

Upon first meeting Rose in Dimitri's unit a year ago, Adrian had openly expressed his interest in the desert princess. He even made nice with her father and managed to gain the mobster's approval. The men that patrolled the Mazur mansion all got used to him being around. The only person left to convince of his worthiness was Rose herself – however, Rose had already become the habitué of Dimitri's bed _long_ before meeting Adrian. Her lover's younger cousin didn't even remotely sway her.

Dimitri knew that Rose was _his_. He claimed her over and over again every night. He had been determined to make Rose his from the moment he'd laid eyes on her a year ago, and to this day, she was still his and only his.

But that didn't mean that seeing Adrian place such an intimate kiss upon _his_ woman didn't piss him off. It handed him the match that he needed to spark the rage inside him.

Turning from the balcony where Rose remained, Dimitri walked past Christian and into the blinding industrial white lights. He stood waiting in the ring with a smug smile on his face and anger running deep through his veins.

Reed Lazar didn't stand a chance and he knew it.

* * *

Despite Reed Lazar knowing he was fighting a losing battle, he pushed ahead and even managed to land some impressive hits on Dimitri.

By the end of the second round, both of the men were battered and bruised. Reed wore the brunt of the facial injuries that Dimitri had inflicted, but even though he was fighting through blood stinging eyes, Reed pushed on.

It wasn't just his loss of vision that Reed had to worry about. Blood was smeared all across his face from his cut eyebrow and his busted lip. His vision was beginning to blur and dance as his left eye started to swell shut. With every move Reed made, he would be spitting out the blood that had been filling his mouth since Dimitri's opening strike.

Dimitri's own lip was split and he had splotches of black and blue rapidly appearing across his jaw and cheekbones. But the worst of Dimitri's injuries appeared to be more torso directed rather than face – which didn't look like a plus actually the more he thought of it.

Dimitri had opted for the most abrasive tactic. You strike the head enough times and nature takes its course – there is no stopping that. But Reed focused on Dimitri's stomach and chest. If he landed a good enough blow, he easily knocked the wind out of Dimitri and left him momentarily breathless and wheezing.

Taking his short break, Dimitri greedily swallowed water from the bottle until Christian angrily snatched it away from him. The fighter didn't need to go drowning himself when he could be possibly badly injured.

What Christian did allow was a splash down to smear any blood out of Dimitri's eyes and away from his mouth. But no matter how many times he rinsed out his mouth, he just couldn't escape that coppery metallic taste. It disgusted him.

Twisting his torso, Dimitri hissed as a ripple of pain shot through his right side. The pain proved that an uppercut directed at Dimitri's ribcage had had the desired effect and most likely broken a rib or two.

But despite his ribs, Dimitri was still in better shape than Reed. When that bell went off to begin the next round, it wasn't only the fighters that knew one way or another round three would be the final round.

The crowd shrieked and screamed at the men as they circled each other, both of them still panting and dripping in sweat. Their cries were only white noise to the fighters though. They were nothing but the sounds of waves crashing as if they were standing on a deserted beach.

What mattered was that Dimitri remained concentrated on the fucker in front of him. One second of distraction was all it could take to end the fight once and for all.

Dimitri took a step towards Reed, finding their dance time wasting and irritating. But Reed pounced before Dimitri had dished out his own blow. The first punch skimmed Dimitri's chin. He noticed too late that it was a feint though. When the second punch came, he could have sworn that he heard something crack.

If anyone was to look around the crowd at that moment, they would see hundreds of faces worried they were about to lose thousands and thousands of dollars in no time at all. Above Dimitri on the VIP level, excited murmurs came from the Lazar family as they prepared themselves for a victory.

Rose and her father saw it very differently. Abe was well aware of Dimitri's temper and how he could use a burst of strength to his advantage. The father and daughter had no doubts about Dimitri's ability.

And fortunately for Dimitri, his years of bar fighting across two countries meant he could take the hit to his jaw like a champion. He was used to the pain and if anything, it only spiralled him into a blind rage.

His eyes bulged with fury as he stared at Reed, and the poor kid fell victim to Dimitri's unbridled wrath.

First, a powerful shove that sent Reed several feet away and making him lose his balance. Then another, as Dimitri pounced to stay within arms reach of him. While Reed attempted to regain his footing, Dimitri took the opportunity of the distraction and pushed his fist right into the centre of Reed's face.

The bones in his nose couldn't handle the force of Dimitri's knuckles, and they buckled and broke as easy as snapping a twig. Blood spurted from his nostrils and from a split that had appeared at the bridge of his nose.

The bloodlust was instant.

After blood – that wasn't his own – touched Dimitri's face, everything became a little hazy for him. He wasn't sure how many times his fist connected with Reed's face after that. Five? Maybe even ten?

He'd lost count.

The crowd of people surrounding the ropes yelled and screamed at Dimitri. Most yelled for him to hit Reed harder, but those in the crowd who knew the Lazar boy demanded that the mediator end the fight – it was undeniable at that point that Reed would be permanently scarred.

Dimitri wasn't thinking or even seeing coherently anymore and everyone could tell. It took three of Mazur's fighters to restrain Dimitri when the meditator finally ceased the fight due to knockout. Reed's unconscious body slacked to the ground as Dimitri was ripped away from continuing his assault.

The fight was over, and Mazur had once again come out on top. Those who had betted on Dimitri being victorious roared in delight. Even the classiest dresses and most sophisticated suits were unable to conceal the crazed and unbridled joy the majority of the crowd lost themselves into.

* * *

Dimitri winced as Christian tightened the bandage wraps around his ribcage. The old locker room was loud and hot with excitement. A lot of money had been won that night, and the boys were eager to celebrate.

But first came the clean-up.

Watered down blood pooled where the men quickly showered and dressed in their more comfortable and less bloodstained sweats. All except Dimitri who was seated and shirtless, still having his more major injuries tended to. He flexed his throbbing striking hand, cringing as he took in the mess his knuckles were in.

"You should probably go to a doctor or something, Belikov," Eddie chuckled while pulling a fresh shirt over his head.

"There doesn't _seem_ to be anything broken," Christian answered while examining the developing bruises across his ribcage. "But you're going to be fucking sore, that's for sure."

As more of the men got fired up, the louder the locker room became. It could have rivalled that of a football team winning their grand final match. The men cheered as they flaunted how much money they had made from their fights – some much more than others.

Dimitri sat through the displays of testosterone with an amused grin. There was something addicting about the atmosphere of the locker room once the fights had all concluded. It was as if something was in the air and was pushing them to abandon all maturity.

Bit by bit, the boisterous mass of men began disappearing – most likely simply moving their party onto _Outpost_ , the local bar. Before he knew it, Dimitri was sitting alone with Christian in the locker room, neither of them speaking. They just sat in comfortable silence up until the chime of Christian's phone broke the serenity.

"That's Liss, she's ready to head off."

Christian got to his feet and brushed his palms over his jeans. "Also, just because I don't think anything is broken, doesn't mean I don't think you should go see a professional."

Dimitri's smile morphed into a wide grin. He opened one eye to watch Christian. "What? Don't you like being my nurse?"

"Shut it, Belikov," Christian sneered jokingly.

"Nah, your right," Dimitri sighed, before grinning smugly again. "It's not the same when you don't wear the outfit."

Christian shook his head while laughing under his breath. "You need to get laid man." It was half a joke and half a push.

' _If only you knew,_ ' Dimitri thought to himself.

With a final smirk on his face, Christian backed up and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "You sure you'll be right?"

"Your Princess is waiting," Dimitri reminded his handler a little harsher than he intended.

"They are still wrapping up everything upstairs. I reckon the place will be cleared within thirty minutes. I think Eddie is expecting you at Outpost tonight." Christian stated, making Dimitri raise an eyebrow.

As always, the other fighters all went out to the local bar after their fights. They usually complained about Dimitri's absence from their festivities.

But then again, none of the men knew _why_ Dimitri never partied with them. Or more importantly, they never knew who he'd rather be spending his night with.

"What's the likelihood of you actually joining them for once?"

"Not very high," Dimitri mumbled quickly in response. With an accepting shrug and a final goodnight, Christian left the locker room leaving Dimitri finally alone.

Dimitri leaned back, letting the back of his head hit the tiled wall behind him softly. Thirty minutes. He could do that. He'd waited longer than that before.

Without realizing it, the bantering with Christian and the other men had made Dimitri temporarily forget about the pain in his hand. Now that he was alone, the throbbing had gotten worse. He agreed with Christian that nothing was broken, but his knuckles were raw and angry. Blood still wept slowly from the wounds and soaked into the towel he had covering it.

Groaning with a mixture of pain and annoyance, Dimitri heaved himself to his feet and walked the few steps to the large trough underneath the mirror. As his injured hand ran under the water, he couldn't hold in his wince while rubbing away the blood and broken skin.

"Thought you were tougher than that," a velvet voice echoed through the locker room. "Especially after what I just witnessed in that ring."

Releasing a breath, Dimitri smiled despite the pain in his hand. Even when she wasn't trying, she always sounded sultry and entrancing. Dimitri had heard this woman utter every curse word ever created - in multiple languages - and yet she still managed to make the harsh words sound alluring instead of rough.

Finally looking up and into the mirror, he found himself looking into the eyes of Rose Mazur: the daughter of one of the most powerful and lethal men in America. _His_ Roza. Not anyone else's, just Dimitri's.

She looked even better than she had up on the balcony. Now that she was closer, he could see the sparkle in her eyes and the flawlessness of her skin. He couldn't miss the curvature of her cleavage or the twinkle of the diamond pendant hanging around her neck – a pendant that was a gift from Dimitri himself.

Rose never took it off.

The red of her dress was bright against her dark almond coloured skin. But it wasn't the colour that made Dimitri see stars in his vision or make his knees go weak. It was the way the strapless fabric hugged and accentuated her hourglass figure. It was the slit down the side of the dress that made his mouth practically _water_.

Dimitri turned slowly, flexing his hand as he went. Seeing Rose had made him forgot entirely about the pains emanating through his body.

"God you look beautiful," Dimitri said without realizing, making Rose's sultry smile become an all-out grin.

"I'd say ditto but you look like shit, comrade," she teased. Dimitri knew he looked beaten, and he'd even go as far to say he looked grotesque.

But Rose's smile didn't deter as she took in the bruises forming on his face. She bypassed his black eye and the cut on his cheekbone. Her eyes locked on his split lip, and Dimitri half expected her to sneer, but he should have known better. This wasn't the first time she had seen him so battered. She looked at him with the same awe and desire that she always did.

Her eyes flitted down to his mauled hand. "Come on, I'll bandage you up."

Dimitri watched Rose push herself from the wall and walk deeper into the locker room. He didn't move as she passed him. He just continued to watch while she sat on the bench near his gym bag and pulled out the things she needed.

She set one of his clean towels over her lap and looked up at him patiently.

What was Dimitri waiting for? There she was, and he was stuck on the spot just staring at her.

"The faster we get this done, the faster we can go home," she tempted, crossing one of her legs over the other and allowing the dress' split to open up around her skin. Dimitri watched the fabric with steady eyes but a racing heart. Only an inch more and it would have been more than her thigh on show.

Giving in, Dimitri allowed her to tend to his injuries. She had done it time and time again over the past year – sometimes with injuries worse than his hand. But she never complained. She was always happy to play the nurse when he needed help.

Just as he had done before, Dimitri hissed every now and again as she cleaned and disinfected his bare knuckles. The sound always made her smile as while she concentrated. It was a reminder that no matter how strong and how terrifying Dimitri was, he was still human at the end of the day.

Once the cuts on his hand were clean and bare, she began wrapping the bandage around his knuckles, ensuring that all the skin that had been marred was now covered. She patted his hand once done, looking up to find Dimitri staring at her with a small smile in the corner of his mouth.

"What?" she giggled.

The sound of her giggle only made Dimitri's heart clench. He brought her hand to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on her knuckles. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

Caught in the swirl of her eyes, Dimitri placed the hand he held in his own on his collarbone before taking her chin between his fingers. His thumb traced along her jaw, eliciting tremors out of her, followed quickly by goosebumps.

The air around them thickened as they held each other's eyes. It was almost as if their lust swirled like heady and intoxicating fumes around them.

"Is everyone gone?" Dimitri asked, moving closer so that his lips were only a hair's breadth away from Rose's.

He kissed her before she had finished nodding. She tasted of honey and vanilla. His head tilted to the side as he deepened the kiss, taking more of her and feeding a hunger that lived deep down inside both of them.

And Rose loved it, embraced it. Dimitri was pure passion, total, breath-stealing passion so great that it scorched her skin.

When Dimitri reached across and grabbed the thigh that was furthest away from him, Rose offered no resistance and allowed him to pull her into a straddling position over his hips. _His_. Breathless, she wound her arms around his neck and held him as tight to her body as his injuries allowed.

As their lips moulded, Dimitri's hand snuck into the split of her dress and under the chiffon folds. Rose groaned headily as Dimitri used his good hand to caress her now exposed thigh. As his fingers danced towards the insides of her thighs, those same groans became of an impatient nature.

Dimitri abruptly changed the course of his mouth, moving down to place rough and possessive kisses on her throat and then further down. Rose shivered as another moan escaped her. She threw her head back and arched into him, a plea for more. He let his tongue trace the curve of her cleavage while simultaneously attempting to pull the strapless dress down to expose her chest finally.

" _Dimitri_ ," Rose moaned. Her stomach quivered, shooting jolts of blissful, melting heat through the rest of her body.

Somewhere in the distance, a door slammed violently.

Startled, Rose jerked out of Dimitri's grasp and off of his lap. She was sure that everyone had left before she'd come to the locker room. She'd even watched as Lissa and Christian drove out of the car park. Nevertheless, Rose stared at the closed door leading out to the hall, half expecting someone to come bursting through and catch them.

What possibly put her further on edge was Dimitri's obliviousness. He stayed seated on the bench and only watched Rose as she stared. He wasn't worried. Buildings as old as the cotton mill always made sounds that weren't man-made.

"Roza," Dimitri sighed.

"What?"

"Nobody is there."

Rose wasn't convinced though. Something was making her feel sick to her stomach. Her entire body churned with dread. Somebody was still in the building. She just knew it; no matter what Dimitri said.

She stayed planted in her spot, staring at the closed door and listening out for any more sounds. But Dimitri still wasn't concerned. If anybody had heard them or knew they were there, they would have made themselves known.

He heaved himself to his feet, wincing as shudders of pain racked his body. But he didn't let it deter from his goal. He wanted to put Rose at ease.

He went for her waist, wrapping his arms around her tightly and pulling her into his chest. She struggled at first, squirming to escape a grasp that couldn't be covered up if someone caught sight of it. He ignored her struggle and concern.

Rose was too deep in her thoughts for an embrace to settle her though. So Dimitri attempted to distract her.

"I hate sneaking around with you," he confessed.

"I hate it too. But my father would kill you if he ever knew about us."

"Does that make it not worth it? I couldn't give a fuck at this point what your father thinks of me, or how badly he would want to kill me. I'm still his best asset."

"That doesn't matter one bit, Dimitri. You may be his best fighter - yes. But in his eyes, you are only that, no matter what stuff on the side you do for him. You're disposable to him. He won't hesitate in proving that when he finds outs you've been busy deflowering his daughter in-between fights."

Dimitri let out a low chuckle that tremored through his chest and consequently, tumbled through her. The sound comforted her and she instinctively fell deeper into his hold.

"You feel something, _Roza_." She tensed immediately. "You can pretend you don't all you want, but I've seen it. I see it when you are watching me and think I don't notice. I see it when you're parading yourself around in Adrian's arms. But most importantly, I see it when I'm _fucking_ you."

She didn't deny his words, but she also didn't admit to them either. She shivered as his hot breath caressed the skin of her throat and made her stomach swirl. "After a year, there is no way you can say this is just sex."

Rose felt the pangs of arousal return and stab at her abdomen. It seemed that no matter what Dimitri said, she couldn't escape how his accent alighted something deep down inside of her. A yearning.

Dimitri knew he had her right where he wanted. They had never admitted if there were any feelings deeper than pleasure swirling between them, but if she asked, Dimitri would tell Rose that he was absolutely and irrevocably in love with her.

He would tell her that she was the light of his life and his reason to get up in the morning. He would tell her that he had dreamed of a life they could make for themselves – no fights, no mobsters and nothing but them. He had had dreams where she bore his children and where they married quietly; living out their days together.

But he never told her these dreams. She told him what he was getting into when he had been introduced to her over a year ago when - when she was only just shy of eighteen. She told him that he was signing up for a secretive and dangerous affair – but he hadn't cared at the time.

Dimitri had been so caught up in everything _Rose,_ that he would have agreed to anything she had asked of him. But now he wished that he could kiss her in public or do something as small as going with her when she went shopping.

"It doesn't matter what I feel, Dimitri." That was a victory in Dimitri's eyes.

Dimitri lowered his head, brushing his lips upon the pulse point in her neck. He took the skin into his mouth, suckling on it before giving it a teething bite. Just like that, Rose was putty in his arms.

She moaned, bringing a hand up to cup that back of his head and ensure he didn't stray too far from her.

"We'll leave."

She froze, not even able to remove her hand from him. "What?" she squeaked.

"We can start again. We can leave all this behind and settle down by ourselves."

"We will never be able to settle down. _He_ will find me wherever we go," Rose sighed with a hint of sadness. Dimitri could have sworn that that sadness had meant she wanted more than anything to go with him.

"Then we stay on the move – always one step ahead of him." He paused, letting the thought sink into her mind. "It's an adventure, Roza. You always said you wanted to venture out of the estate's gates."

It was a risky move on Dimitri's part. He had attempted to appeal to the part of Rose that hated her father's protective nature – but it could have just as easily backfired on him.

"Think it over, milaya," he mumbled, using the hands on her waist to turn her in his arms to face him. "I know it's a big step...but I'd risk _everything_ for you."

Rose looked up at him wide-eyed, knowing if he said what she thought he was about to say, she would crumble.

"I love you."

Rose closed her eyes feeling tears stinging. She wouldn't show how much those words affected her. To finally hear them was like hearing celebratory trumpets inside her head. She had never doubted his feelings for her but imagining him saying he loved her was _nothing_ compared to him actually saying it.

So why couldn't she say it back? She gaped, her mouth opened to tell him she loved him too, but the words couldn't form. Why? Because deep down, Rose knew that it was dangerous for her to say those words.

She'd dreamed of not having to think about her actions around Dimitri. She wanted to be able to openly claim Dimitri as her own, and she, his. She wanted to show everyone around her the love she had for the man in front of her. But doing such a thing practically signed Dimitri's death certificate. There was no scenario that would have Dimitri come out unscathed.

It was obvious what was occupying Rose's thoughts. Dimitri could decipher it purely by the sad look in her eyes. It was a look he never liked seeing on her as he'd always endeavoured to make her happiness his top priority.

There was another slamming of doors, and there was no way it was just coincidental anymore. Someone was still in the building and they would have to wrap their conversation up quickly so they didn't get caught.

"Three hours – my unit."

Rose gaped at first, shaking her head slightly as she tried to say _no_. But it never came, just like the confession of her love had never come. Both times she had held her tongue because she was scared, but now, she needed to make a choice.

Rose nodded sharply as she finally made her mind up.

* * *

Abe was waiting patiently in the passenger seat of his car when Pavel returned. His eyes hadn't once left the black Mercedes parked in the lot. He was beyond curious as to why exactly his daughter was still inside the empty cotton mill.

"I couldn't find anyone. Perhaps she left something behind and Belikov didn't want to leave her by herself," Pavel tried to reason as he got back behind the wheel of the SUV.

"Perhaps," Abe drawled, looking further beyond his daughter's Mercedes and at the dark green truck parked near the trees.

Pavel was worried, and he dared a look at Johnson sitting in the back seat. He hadn't been able to find Rose or Belikov inside the mill. But then again, he hadn't searched very well purposely. He'd avoided the locker room and the VIP area so that he wouldn't be forced to take action if he found something.

He liked Belikov and he'd known Rose her entire life. If his suspicions were correct, he didn't want to be the one to alert his boss of the possibility of an indiscretion.

Johnson, the other security personnel in the vehicle, showed a similar reaction to Pavel. He too had suspected something going on between the pair but hoped for Belikov's sake, that Pavel had found nothing inside the mill.

"Shall we head out?" Pavel prompted, trying to get the hell out the lot as soon as possible.

"I guess," he sighed. "You really couldn't find them?"

Pavel swallowed the lump in the throat. "Nowhere to be found."

Abe waited for another gruelling minute. Every second that he spent staring out of the window, sent Pavel more on edge.

He thought everything was in the clear when Abe turned away from the window and faced the front. But then a flash of red appeared in the corner of Pavel's eye, and it wasn't only himself that caught it.

Abe's head snapped to the entrance of the mill where his daughter was leaving, escorted by Belikov. They seemed platonic and unconcerned. They didn't look around the parking lot nervously, nor did they touch except for the hand on Rose's back as Dimitri led her out to her car.

Pavel sucked air into his lungs. All Belikov had to do was put Rose in her car and walk to his own - there would be nothing to incriminate him. Pavel could see Abe watching them intently, trying to find one false move.

When Rose and Dimitri reached her car, Pavel held his breath. ' _Don't do anything stupid, Belikov'_ , he prayed to himself. But when Dimitri leant down to place a soft kiss on Rose's lips, he couldn't hide his anguish. In a show of frustration, Pavel hit the back of his head against the headrest and scrunched up his face.

The temperature of the car ramped up and Abe was at breaking point. Pavel could only imagine the thoughts running through his boss' mind. But he had to admit that he was impressed with how well Abe had held his composure so far.

The three men watched Rose lower herself into the luxury car as it purred to life. Dimitri stuck his head through the window, giving her a final kiss before she sped out of the parking lot. They then watched Dimitri's get into his own vehicle and do the same.

"Follow him," Abe muttered as he looked dead ahead of him.

Pavel's heart thundered in his chest as he started the car up. He didn't know what Abe had planned, but after working with the man for over two decades, he knew not to expect good things.

* * *

Dimitri breezed into his unit feeling higher than life.

Rose had agreed to leave with him! She'd picked him over her expensive cars and disposable income – not that he for a second thought that Rose was that vain or materialistic. She had proved time and time again that she didn't need her father's fortune to be happy, but the life she had been born into was an easy one to adjust into.

If Dimitri's younger sister, Viktoria, ever found out about Rose's wealth, she would probably faint! But Rose had always been humble about her advantage in the rat race, she never once flaunted her money in front of those less fortunate than her.

Still in a happy daze, Dimitri's eyes caught onto the scribbled note stuck on the fridge with a magnet.

 _Gone to church, don't wait up – Adrian._

Dimitri laughed to himself. _'Church'_ was Adrian's code for going and seeing Sydney – a woman Dimitri couldn't believe had even looked in Adrian's direction.

Adrian had met the religious blonde while dropping his car off at her mother's garage. To say that Sydney had despised Adrian after their initial meeting was an _understatement_. She couldn't stand his mere presence and she loathed that flirtatious smirk he always wore on his lips – the same smirk that usually had women falling at his feet.

But Adrian, on the other hand, had been absolutely taken with her. When Sydney refused to go out for dinner or even just a _drink_ with him, Adrian began purposely tampering with his car so he would have a reason to return to the garage. He sometimes returned to the garage four times a week with a blown gasket or something more mediocre – like changing the light in his taillight.

It had taken months of these visits before Sydney finally agreed on a date – and now the rest was history.

* * *

It had just reached the hour mark that Dimitri had been back at his unit when there was an irregular knock at the door. Dimitri ceased packing his duffels full of clothes and cash he had kept hidden from his winnings, and cautiously entered the living space of his unit.

He wanted to take a look outside to see who was at the door, but he had no peephole, and the venetian blinds meant there was no way to stealthy take a sneak peek.

Perhaps it wasn't anything to worry about; it could just be Rose being early?

 _'Then why did she knock?'_ A voice echoed in the back of Dimitri's mind. ' _She has a key. Why doesn't she just use it?'_

The voice had a point. Rose had always had a key to Dimitri's unit. It had been a long time since she had had the need to knock on his door. He hadn't heard a car pull up, and the growl of Rose's high-powered car was _unmistakable_.

 _'She dumped the car and left the keys in it so it would be stolen!'_ A similar voice reasoned with him. _'Don't leave her waiting out in the cold, open the door!'_

Stupidly, Dimitri let the voices deep inside his mind relax him. He let them talk him into believing that it was just Rose behind the door. So when he did unlatch the lock and swing the door open, he wasn't prepared to be looking dead into the same brown eyes – but which belonged to a man.

Dimitri froze. He stood in the doorway with one hand still on the wood, the other by his side. Why the _fuck_ was Abe at his home? Abe had never come to his home before! And why did he have such a murderous look in his eyes?

The realisation came crashing down on Dimitri. _He knew_.

Acting without thinking, Dimitri lunged from the door and to the small hallway table, which housed a gun in its draw. But Dimitri wasn't quick enough.

Before he had even made it halfway to his weapon, he was struck to the ground by a powerful force. He was already weakened and sore from the fight not even two hours ago, so he crumbled helplessly under the weight of his attacker.

Gasping for air, Dimitri looked up from his place on the floorboards to see both Pavel and Johnson – his _colleagues_ – hovering over him menacingly.

"Pick him up," Abe grunted as he let himself into Dimitri's home, unbuttoning his suit jacket as he did. Without giving Dimitri another passing glance, Abe began moving deeper into the unit and towards the conjoined living and kitchen area.

Dimitri could have sworn that he saw a flash of reluctance pass through Pavel's eyes at Abe's order. But as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Both of the men returned to exhibiting stone expressions as they lifted Dimitri and followed after.

* * *

 ** _Blood and Bones Part ll_**

* * *

 _Dimitri and Rose's illicit love affair has been discovered by none other than the one person they wanted it hidden from the most. With Dimitri missing from his unit and Rose knowing the only place her father would take him too, will she be in time to save him from her own blood?_


	2. Blood and Bones Part ll

**_Blood Bones Part ll_**

* * *

 _Dimitri and Rose's illicit love affair has been discovered by none other than the one person they wanted it hidden from the most. With Dimitri missing from his unit and Rose knowing the only place her father would take him too, will she be in time to save him from her own blood?_

* * *

Despite Rose feeling like she was trapped most of her life, the thought of doing something like running away from home had never once passed through her mind.

It wasn't because she was scared of what her parents would do if she ever did such a thing, nor was it because she knew her father would find a way to track her back down.

The reason Rose never ran was that, well, she _loved_ her mother and father. She knew her parents were only being so protective of her because she was more likely to face threats than her peers were. Even when her parents shipped her off to board at St Vladimir's Academy to keep her 'hidden', fourteen-year-old Rose understood why. She'd never once resented her parents for making that choice.

But Rose's ability to understand why she was at the Academy didn't mean she was necessarily the most model of students.

She tested the boundaries of her teachers _every day_ by getting into as much customary teenage trouble as she could. Rose had never been a stranger to breaking the rules, and not even St Vlad's strict approach was going to be able to tame that out of her.

There was nothing wrong with a little partying and mischief-making. Rose liked to let off steam the same way many others her age did. She was, however, careful to never go as far as to do anything that put her directly into harm's way – that would have been _too_ much of a test of fate.

Plainly put, Rose was cautious. She had never been _misinformed_ on who her father was or what business he got up to. She understood the work he was involved in well, hell, she fully intended onto being part of it once she finished her business degree. The main point though was that Rose knew well and good that her life had the possibility of changing drastically in just the mere blink of an eye.

Abe knew this as well. So when Rose was still just a small child he'd appointed a security detail that was dedicated to the safety of his daughter. Abe and Janine told Rose to think of them as her g _uardian_ a _ngels_ – they were there to make sure nothing bad ever happened to her. Rose grew up with that notion instilled in her, meaning as she grew, so did her trust in these so-called guardian angels.

Just as many childhood nicknames do, the term stuck and Rose began referring to these men and woman as her guardians. It sounded much less suffocating to her than 'bodyguards' as she grew up.

They did well blending into the background of her life and not making her feel watched. They gave her the space she needed, and as a result, she'd never become anxious or frustrated with their presence. It didn't bother her that she was rarely allowed out without her guardians. Rose had reached a point where she was so unbothered by their presence, that she regularly forgot that they trailed a few cars behind or discreetly followed her on foot.

They made her feel protected.

Then, a certain Russian was found amidst a violent bar fight and all eyes were suddenly on him – including her own.

When Dimitri Belikov moved up from being an invisible fighter to part of _Collections_ , he'd also managed to join Abe's most trusted circle – which meant he now trusted Belikov not only with his money but also with his daughter's _life_. Rose suddenly had another guardian to watch over her.

It wasn't until Rose was home from St Vlad's for Christmas break that she met Dimitri, and even then, their meeting hadn't gone in the way Abe had planned. Perhaps if she hadn't of walked straight into him in one of the villa's many hallways she would never have known just how much interest Dimitri had in her. But she _had_ walked straight into him, sparking a conversation that she would never forget. From their first meeting, Rose knew that she had piked Dimitri's interest.

Rose had been careful not to give away who she was to Dimitri. He'd clearly had no clue that she was Abe's daughter, so why not have a bit of fun before her secret was discovered?

Later in the afternoon when she was _formally_ introduced to Dimitri as Abe's daughter, Dimitri slapped on his professionalism and appeared as nothing more than amiable with his boss' daughter. He kept his distance in the beginning. He knew his boundaries and he was intent on keeping to them – even Rose could respect that enough to leave him be. But two weeks was long enough for Rose to become extremely comfortable with Dimitri, and vice versa.

Dimitri did his job escorting her around the city, and sometimes accompanying her when she was alone. But with every day that passed alongside Rose, his professionalism began to slip. Soon enough, Dimitri was matching Rose's flirtatious nature with his own. Sure it had been her that had instigated the subtle touches and flirtatious conversation, but Dimitri had fallen into it. Once they'd breached that line, there was no going back.

Anyone around the couple could see that they'd instantly clicked. There hadn't been a single awkward moment between them.

So naturally, when Rose returned to St Vlad's to finish the last half of her senior year, they both felt the loss of the other's presence. As Rose was a full-time boarder, she wouldn't return to the villa for several weeks at a time, and even when she did come home, it would only be for a few short days. They both made the most of what little time they had together without even realising it.

Perhaps that's what always worried her most about her father discovering her and Dimitri's affair.

No matter what they had convinced themselves, Rose's relationship with Dimitri hadn't been casual for a long time. It wasn't something that she would easily be able to let go of and forget about if her father tried forcing them apart. She knew that if her father ever found out her and Dimitri, one way or another, it would end in heartbreak.

* * *

Rose pulled into the detached garage still thinking of her decision to run away. The entire idea sounded so juvenile that it made her laugh dryly to herself.

She was still worried about what could happen to Dimitri when they would both be discovered gone. Rose was more than willing to risk her father's wrath for that flutter in her stomach she got around Dimitri. But was she willing to risk Dimitri's _life_ for it?

Rose knew better than most that Abe didn't trust just _anyone_ , so when he would undoubtedly discover that both his daughter and one of his closest confidants had betrayed him; it would be as if a knife had struck him in the gut. Worse, with Rose being a willing participant in the betrayal, it was likely Dimitri that would suffer the consequences of _both_ of their actions wholly.

Rose didn't want to think the worst. She didn't want to think that by handing over both her heart and soul to Dimitri, it could end with disaster – and possibly all for nothing.

These thoughts were not Rose second-guessing what she felt for Dimitri or how much she craved a normal relationship with him. She wasn't even questioning if she really wanted to leave with Dimitri, nor thinking if she could mentally do it.

Rose instead questioned herself if running was the right approach. She had agreed with Dimitri in the heat of the moment. He'd admitted he loved her and that he wanted to be with her – she the same with a single nod. Running had seemed like the only option for them. But after driving home, Rose thought that there had to be a better way. Perhaps it would be better that they instead sat down with her parents to break the news to them?

It could definitely work. They could _ease_ her father into the idea of them being a couple, rather than just throwing him into the thick of it.

Groaning, Rose rested her forehead against the steering way. She didn't want to hurt her father, but she also didn't want Dimitri to get hurt. There was a very thin line between the two men in her life. She didn't want to have to pick between them.

There was only one person in the world that would know the best way to potentially break the news of her and Dimitri's relationship to her father. She was just as scary as Abe, but also just as protective. She was, however, more _understanding_ than her other half.

She understood that not everything in life went as planned. Life didn't have a roadmap that helped with its twists and turns. If anyone knew that better than Rose, it was her mother – Janine Mazur.

Janine had fallen for Abe Mazur at the tender age of nineteen, and it had caught her entirely off guard. She had never thought about being the wife of a man whose main source of money was through his illegal behaviours.

But Abe had swept Janine off of her feet, much like Dimitri had done to Rose. She'd tried her hardest to not be attracted to such a man, but she still fell victim to his charm. But there had not been a moment in their eighteen years of marriage where she had regretted choosing him.

Janine knew what it was like to fall for someone you probably shouldn't have. So she was the first person Rose went to for advice.

* * *

Abe had never been to Belikov's unit before that night. He never knew what to expect of the Russian, yet, the small brick home was strangely exactly what he could picture Belikov living in.

Everyone knew that Belikov was a humble man. He didn't throw money around like it wasn't an issue, and he never spoke of his newfound wealth obnoxiously. It was a trait not many of the fighters had. Most of them _loved_ boasting about the money that came their way after fight nights, even to the point where they invited hoards of them to their shiny new apartments to show off.

But Belikov was never one of these men. Only a few would have ever seen inside the walls Abe was standing surrounded by – and he could see why. The entire home was filled with small mementos that showed how much of a family man he was. His walls held framed photographs of women and children he didn't recognise; atop of his bookshelf sat birthday cards with bold Cyrillic letters on the front, and below the cards, the shelves were filled to their capacity with books of all different kinds, both in English and Russian.

Abe was surprisingly enamoured by the unit and its cosiness. It was almost the exact opposite of the villa where he and his family lived. Sure Abe's home was extravagant and beautiful, but even he could admit it was sometimes cold and quiet.

Family photos were not hung as lightly in Abe's home for fear that anyone who visited would instantly know the inner workings of his life. The absence of any keepsakes created a coldness in the hallways – a coldness that no amount of Persian rugs or Egyptian cotton could fight off.

Abe wasn't one to live humbly. He knew his wealth and he _liked_ to wear and show it. The villa was cooked up in Abe's mind like a child drawing their dream home. There was only the best of everything laid out into the floor plan. So, while Abe fell for the spell of the small unit, he also instantly felt smothered by it. There was only a short hallway before the open-plan living smacked him in the face.

A lounge room, dining room and kitchen all one big room…who would have thought? The only thing separating the zones was the carefully laid furniture. It baffled Abe how anyone could live so cramped when they made the same kind of money that Belikov did.

As Abe continued to wind mindlessly around the furniture, Pavel and Johnson half-dragged Belikov from the front door to the dining room before sitting him into one of the four chairs around a glass dining table – albeit, a little rougher than they had intended. The chair leg scraped loudly against the hardwood floor and jerked Abe from his study of the unit.

Seeing his right-hand men watching him anxiously, Abe dragged his hands over his face and tugged slightly on the hair of his chin. It had been a long night – longer than he'd had anticipated it be. Abe had started the evening on a high with the fight ahead of him, and yet, it was finishing on the ends of bad faith. Just looking at the back of Belikov's head from across the room was enough to get his blood boiling again.

When he'd first brought the boy into his inner circle, it was Abe's biggest fear that the Russian Romeo would attempt to make a pass on his daughter. It wasn't that Abe thought he was a bad kid – he just didn't want anyone taking away his little girl, and Abe had a feeling if anyone could take Rose away from him, it would be Belikov.

Looking at him now, he should have known.

Abe wasn't oblivious to the charm that Belikov exuded. It seemed any woman that he came into contact with became putty right in front of him. Even Janine – his own _wife_ – had stuttered when first introduced to the giant. But Rose hadn't. She'd been quick to tease and taunt Belikov from the moment they met.

That should have been Abe's first red flag.

He prayed that his daughter wasn't going with the _treat 'em mean, keep 'em keen_ approach. He'd originally kept a careful eye on the two of them whenever they were around each other and noticed the obvious sparks of attraction. But surprisingly, nothing ever eventuated between them. Instead, Belikov set Rose up with his younger cousin, the Ivashkov boy.

When Adrian came into the picture, Abe wasn't one bit threatened by him. He still watched them, but he was certain that the Ivashkov boy wanted something from _him_ ; something that couldn't be gained by taking his daughter out of the picture.

Belikov on the other hand, he was another story entirely. He hadn't gone out pursuing Abe's world like Adrian had. He had taken a fair bit of convincing to just join as a fighter! Belikov was someone who would walk away at any moment and not look back. He didn't live and breath the world he was involved in as Abe and Adrian did. He was a man who took his cut and got out of there – and it was only a matter of time before he did _exactly_ _that_.

Abe didn't think his problems were over when Rose made her relationship with Adrian public. He just merely filed them away for further down the track. He'd even managed to forget about them for a while there when Adrian made his presence a continuity in Abe's home, and shockingly, Abe got used to him. He would even go as far as to say he _liked_ him.

So when he watched Belikov kiss his daughter in the empty parking lot, Abe was instantly thrown into a tough spot. What hurt more? Was it the betrayal he felt watching Belikov _actually_ making a move on Rose? Or was it the remorse he felt for Adrian when Rose pulled him deeper into the kiss instead of pushing him away as he'd expected her to?

The lies of his daughter definitely hurt, but what Abe couldn't understand was why Belikov – a family man in the most sense – would betray not only his boss but also his own cousin.

Abe was genuinely struggling with the notion of Belikov going after his cousin's girlfriend. He thought the man would have had far more honour than that.

Abe crossed the floor to the kitchen, passing through the small open dining area where Belikov had been sat. He could feel the silence of the room against his skin like an itch he couldn't scratch as he searched for the cabinet that housed tumblers.

When he found it, he turned to face Belikov and asked the simplest of questions: "Scotch?"

"One above," Belikov grumbled, jutting his head upwards.

Turning his back once more, Abe felt the stares of all three men hot on his back. But silently, he grabbed the expensive bottle of _Blue Label_ and set it on the kitchen bench. He wasn't interested in talking to Belikov until he got a proper drink in him.

As he used the ice dispenser on the fridge, Abe's eyes caught onto a yellow post-it note secured by a magnet.

 _Gone to church – Adrian._

Pinching the note between his thumb and forefinger, Abe tugged it free from the magnet and turned to finally face Belikov. _Now_ it all made more sense.

He dropped the note on the counter and scowled over at Belikov. Yes. everything made _a lot_ more sense now. "One in the morning is a bit late for church, don't you think, Belikov?"

Abe hoped to get a reaction, _any reaction._ But Belikov remained as impassive as stone. It was one of the things Abe normally enjoyed about Belikov. Abe liked that he could conceal his thoughts and feelings behind a wall so well. But this was _not_ one of those occasions where he appreciated the skill.

It was alright though. He'd crack soon enough.

* * *

Rose went straight from the car garage to her parent's bedroom, knowing that her father would still be in his study doing his sums from the night's winnings and that she would be able to talk to her mother alone.

The door to her parent's room was wide open when Rose arrived, giving her a perfect view of her mother sitting at the vanity. She stood in the doorway and watched for a few moments as her mother tied up her hair into an elastic and began wiping her face with an alcohol wipe.

She didn't want to spring this on her mom when she was in the middle of taking off her make-up. So for the moment, Rose just watched as she cleaned her face and applied her night cream – a routine she remembered watching ever since she was a young girl.

Eventually, her mom noticed Rose standing by the door jam still dressed strangely in her dress and with a full-face of makeup. She turned to face Rose head-on and beckoned her inside the room.

"Hey, baby," her mom smiled welcomingly until she noticed the dark look hidden underneath Rose's makeup. "Everything okay?"

Rose took a deep breath in as she sat down on the seat at the foot of the bed. The thought of stalling or even straight-up _abandoning_ the idea of asking her mom for advice passed through Rose's mind. But thinking about Dimitri waiting for her in his unit encouraged Rose on.

"Pa didn't like dad, did he? At least, not at first?" Rose asked her mother, looking down at her own clasped hands.

She heard her mom chuckle softly for a moment. "No, he didn't like your father at _all_ in the beginning. He tried his hardest to keep us apart."

"When did he realise he was fighting a lost cause – that you weren't going to stay away from dad?"

When Rose looked up, her mom was regarding her with a curious expression. She knew why. Rose had never been one to ask a lot of questions about her parent's relationship. She knew the basics, like where they'd met and how her father won her mother over in the end. But she'd never asked about the troubles she knew they had faced along the way.

"Does this by any chance have something to do with Adrian?" her mom asked carefully while her eyes bore into Rose's.

"No," Rose muttered.

Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"I mean, not _really_ ," she corrected while looking back down at her hands in her lap.

She could feel her mom's eyes weighing heavily on her even though she couldn't see her. She didn't want to give away anything until she needed to. Eventually and despite Rose's closed off response, her mom conceded and answered her question.

"Well, as you know, we had you before your father and I were married." Rose looked back up, meeting her eyes. "I loved your father long before I fell pregnant and I planned on being beside him forever. Your Pa didn't stop fighting it until the moment you were born."

Janine stood from the vanity and moved to the spot beside Rose on the seat before continuing. "I was holding you in my arms when we had been moved back to the ward and your father was hovering over both of us, as he does," she joked, bringing a small smile to Rose's face. "When everyone came to meet you, no one could divide his attention away from you. He looked down at you with such love in his eyes – such _happiness_. I think that was when dad knew Abe would move mountains for you – for _us_."

The sentiment behind her mother's story was practically lost on Rose, and instead of hearing the words, she scoffed. "I don't have a baby to test that theory."

"You don't need to have a child to be able to see true love and devotion."

Finally catching onto her mother's meaning, Rose thought back to the different ways Dimitri looked at her. It didn't matter what situation they were in, there was always an intensity in his eyes that she'd never experienced before him.

Earlier that night when he'd come out into the factory, she'd felt shivers through her entire body. That same intensity was there as he stared up at her on the landing, becoming almost dangerous when Adrian taunted him.

But there had been something different in his eyes later as she cleaned the wounds on his knuckles. It was the kind of look that made Rose feel grounded. His eyes managed to make a clear path through her mind and grab her entire focus. His eyes and the way he looked at her made Rose feel _safe_.

Her mother was right. She didn't need a child to know how much Dimitri loved her, or how devoted he was to her. It was something Rose had always known without really _knowing_.

"Honey, what's going on?" Janine asked quietly, pushing a strand of Rose's hair behind her ear. Rose snapped herself out of her thoughts and gave her mom a genuine smile this time. "Are you sure this doesn't have anything to do with Adrian?"

"I'm sure."

"Then who is it about?"

Rose took a deep breath. _Now or never_. "Dimitri," she mumbled as quietly as possible. But she should have known that no matter how quiet she was, her mother would hear her.

"Dimitri?" she repeated questioningly. "Why would he have anything–oh I see."

Rose hung her head again, not wanting to see her mother's judgment or disappointment. There was nothing worse than knowing a parent wasn't mad at you, but instead _disappointed_. A few traitorous tears escaped Rose's eyes and slipped down her cheeks.

"Oh, my darling," Janine sighed wrapping her arms around her daughter and resting her cheek on the top of her head. "There's no need to cry. Have you told Adrian?"

"Adrian is in on it," Rose confessed. "It's always been Dimitri. I was with Dimitri before Adrian was even in the picture."

To Rose's surprise, her mother was smiling when she finally looked at her. Wiping the tears from her cheek with the back of her hand, Rose sniffed, "What? Why are you smiling?"

"I've watched you and Dimitri and always thought something would happen between you two. But then you started dating Adrian, _supposedly_ ," Janine said pointedly, "and I thought maybe I had just been seeing things. I accepted Adrian into our lives, but I always hoped that I _hadn't_ been seeing things in those early days."

Rose couldn't believe the words as the came out of her mother's mouth. Did she _approve_ of Dimitri? However, that wasn't even the part of what her mother said that stuck with her.

If _she_ had noticed something between Dimitri and Rose during the early days, who's to say that no one else had? Who's to say that her father hadn't already noticed?

Maybe they hadn't been as careful as much as they originally had thought.

"What do I do, mom?" Rose sighed. "I'm so worried. What will dad say? We went behind his back, betrayed his trust, and now we don't know where to go from here."

"What are you talking about, Rose?"

"We don't want to hide anymore. But we are too deep in." Rose closed her eyes and attempted to even her breathing. "Dimitri asked me to leave with him, to start again. But now I'm scared that it will only make things worse."

"You want my advice?"

Rose could only nod.

"Don't run. Running means chasing, and you know that your father is a master at hide and seek," Janine instilled. "We can do a family dinner or even a lunch where you can tell your father and ease him into the idea of the two of you. Running away will only anger him."

Rose knew this was the right answer from the beginning. She knew that she had a better chance of having her and Dimitri's relationship accepted by bringing it _to_ her father, rather than having him find out on his own. She'd just needed someone else to confirm it.

Rose had made her decision. She wouldn't hide what she felt for Dimitri anymore, nor would she hide what they wanted. But she wouldn't run. She had never run from anything before, she had always faced whatever was thrown at her. So why should this be any different?

"I need to go see him." Rose turned to face her mother, "thank you, mom."

"You're very welcome. I want to see you happy and so does your father, and if what makes you happy is Dimitri, we won't stand in your way of happiness." Janine pulled her daughter into a fierce hug, which Rose matched just as fiercely. "I'm so proud of you, Rose. You've grown up to be such a beautiful and strong young woman."

For a moment, Rose let herself sink into the hug and words given to her from her mother. It wasn't often that she opened up to her parents. She loved them both, but they weren't exactly the easiest people to have a heart to heart with.

But if Rose had learnt anything from her parents, it was that they didn't lie to her. They never sugar-coated _anything_. They were always honest with her, and she owed it to them to be honest back.

No more lying.

* * *

Another thirty minutes had passed since Abe grabbed his first drink, and Belikov hadn't said as much of a word since his direction towards the scotch.

No one had even bothered pressing Belikov for information. So, with a drink in hand, Abe decided to continue his little exploration of the unit.

Now that he was actively looking for hints of his daughter, he managed to spot them _everywhere_ he looked. Thrown on the couch was an expensive camel-checked, cashmere scarf (the kind of scarf that Belikov would have _no_ business buying); heeled boots were nestled by the door, and college textbooks lay on top of the coffee table next to a western novel.

It bothered Abe more than he would have liked. Walking into the unit, you would assume a couple lived there, not two _male_ cousins. As much as Abe wanted to ignore all the subtle touches of his daughter in the living room _alone_ , he couldn't get past the fact that it appeared Rose had more of a presence at Belikov's unit rather than the villa where she actually lived.

As Abe neared the coffee table, he spotted a thin white strip poking out from the top of one of Belikov's books. Curious, he tugged at it and pulled out the supposed bookmark.

When he held the bookmark in front of him, a smile appeared across his lips suddenly. But his smile wasn't to be mistaken for acceptance. All Abe saw was a Polaroid photo of his daughter smiling. The fact that Belikov had been using it as his bookmark had yet to sink in fully. But the moment he caught onto what the photo's purpose was, that smile quickly dropped into a frown.

Without realising what he was doing, Abe slipped the polaroid photo into the pocket of his slacks.

Abe didn't know what overcame him. His daughter was a very private woman who kept her problems to herself. She didn't like bothering other people with her issues when most of them had their own to deal with. So to see such a private feeling photo in Belikov's possession was more to take in than he realised. Abe had seen his daughter happy, but never as happy as she appeared to be in the photo as Belikov held her chin in between his fingers.

Was his daughter truly that unhappy that she _escaped_ to Belikov's unit? Abe had only ever tried to keep her safe. He could admit that he was generally strict, but as Rose got older, he made sure that the fences he kept around her expanded as well.

But the photo had unnerved Abe. Was he being too harsh? _Had_ he been too harsh?

It wasn't until Abe turned back to face the kitchen and met Belikov's expectant eyes, that he instantly felt as if he'd missed something.

His gaze jumped to Pavel and Johnson who were standing slightly back from Belikov now and looking extremely uncomfortable. The obviously tense silence clung to Abe's skin like an itch he couldn't scratch, and judging by the way Belikov was seated forward in the chair with his fists curled into tight balls, there was definitely something he had missed.

"Did you say something?"

Belikov's clicked his jaw, looking as if he was finally about the snap and pounce at Abe.

"I said: That's mine."

 _Gobsmacked._ It was the only word for it. Abe's eyebrows shot up his forehead as he internally applauded Belikov for being ballsy enough to play the possession game against him. The man was in a very vulnerable position, it took guts to say something like that.

"You took what's mine, it's only fair I take something back," Abe shrugged, manoeuvring towards the kitchen with his sights set back on the bottle of scotch.

"Rose isn't a possession."

Seeming to ignore him, Abe instead poured himself another fresh glass and watched Belikov's body language. He was truly hanging on by a single thread - and it gave Abe an idea. Maybe the trick wasn't to let Belikov sit in silence and fester, but to instead _coax_ the answers out of him. _Then_ he could get somewhere.

"That she's not, you're right," Abe smirked and brought his glass to his lips.

"Then how can you justify treating her as if she is?" Belikov quickly countered before Abe could even take a sip.

Sighing, Abe dropped his hand. "Don't confuse me being protective of my only child with controlling her. I am dedicated to the survival of Rose at _any_ cost. I may not always make decisions that she likes, but they are made for a reason, Belikov. Perhaps when you are a father yourself you will understand the sacrifices we make for our children without them knowing."

Abe thought he had made his point clear to Belikov. He knew he had his moments where he could become obsessive of his daughter's safety, but his intention was never to hinder Rose.

"You aren't controlling?" Belikov scoffed. "You _e_ _mployed_ me with the sole purpose to _follow_ your daughter! How _isn't_ that controlling?"

Abe had had enough. He roughly slammed the tumbler in his hand down to the granite bench in a spray of glass, scotch and blood. "You were _entrusted_ to _watch out_ for my daughter!" Abe boomed so loudly that the walls around them seemed to shake. His entire body began to convulse with rage as a red mist fell over his vision. "I trusted you to take care of Rose and make sure no harm would come to her! You were there to look out for her! Did you instead take that role as an invitation to be her bed buddy?"

"Boss–" Pavel tried interjecting, but Abe cut him off, continuing on with his rant.

"No! Do you take me as some kind of fool, Belikov? Did you really think I wouldn't figure out what you've been up to?"

At first, Belikov didn't respond, allowing Abe to calm down somewhat became aware of the blood slowly seeping from his hand.

As he reached over and grabbed a stray tea towel to cover the laceration on his palm, a soft mutter floated across the room from Belikov. "Didn't hear you there, son," Abe grunted as he used his good hand and teeth to secure the towel.

"We _hoped_ not," he repeated clearly back to Abe. "Did you ever think to yourself that you being so 'protective' is possibly driving your daughter _away_?"

Abe stilled, unsure exactly how to interpret Belikov's words. He wasn't sure if Belikov was playing his own game against him or not. But if so, taunting Abe by using his daughter wasn't the way to do it. Sure it was bound to get under his skin, but everyone knew that Rose wasn't used as leverage.

"Rosemarie has been cared for like no one else in this world. Not many men like me care this much about their children. Would you prefer that I instead threw her to the wolves and let her fend for herself?"

"Never. But tyranny isn't a way to bring up a child."

Against all odds, Abe smiled. "I've been called many things, Belikov. This would be the first time I've heard tyrant though. It would be wise to remember that I have never once used my money or capabilities to _disadvantage_ my daughter."

"Yet she still flees the life you have given her?"

It was the final straw. It was what Abe had been afraid of all this time. Belikov was going to take his daughter away from him.

Abe glared across the room. "If you think you're going to be going anywhere with my daughter..."

A single head jerk told Pavel all that he needed to know. With an uneasy sigh, he reached for the firearm at his hip.

"And keep him down this time."

* * *

As Rose approached the gates of the estate for the second time that night, she found herself to be a lot calmer and levelheaded. When Rose had first arrived back at the estate, she had been so worked up that her entire body was practically vibrating from both excitement _and_ anxiety.

Even Stan, the guard stationed at the small hut by the gate, noticed that she was much calmer than she had been an hour before. He'd practically felt the young woman's uneasiness pulsating out of the car in waves.

"Rose," Stan greeted with a casual nod as she pulled her car up beside the hut. He swiped his identification card and the large gate began opening in a show of groaning steel. "I heard Belikov had a big win tonight," he smiled, making Rose unconsciously beam.

"That he _did_! He made us a lot of money tonight. He ought to be proud of himself," Rose praised, practically jumping in her seat. She knew well enough that her praise for Dimitri would go unquestioned, as she often advocated how well Dimitri fought to anyone who would listen.

It was almost as if Stan was getting second-hand giddiness off of Rose. Just seeing how proud she was of her guardian was enough to make even _him_ smile.

Just as Rose put her car back into gear, a thought crossed her mind that she should have remembered earlier. "Oh shit!" she cursed. "I forgot to tell dad I was leaving. Could you pass a message up to the house? Can you let him know I've gone to Adrian's for the night?"

Okay, maybe _one_ more lie.

Just because she had decided that she was no longer going to keep her relationship with Dimitri a secret, didn't mean Rose wanted _Stan_ of all people to be the first person to know.

"No need, Rose," he brushed off. "I'll let him know when he gets home."

Rose's entire body froze. "You mean he's _not_ in his office?"

"No, ma'am."

"Oh-okay," she stuttered. "If you could let him know when he gets back, that'd be great."

"Of course, Rose. Enjoy your night."

"You too," Rose mumbled before pulling out of the driveway and merging onto the main road.

It wasn't a rarity that Rose's father was out late on _business_. But after fight nights, his normal routine was to return to the estate as soon as possible. He had winnings to divvy up and books to amend. Routines break though, and her father had been known to join his fighters for a celebratory drink every now and again. But Rose had a feeling deep in her gut that her father wasn't at _Outpost_ with the others.

Her worst fear was that he would be at Dimitri's unit. Whether he was there for a drink or something more sinister, she couldn't know. But if her mother had noticed the chemistry between her and Dimitri, who's to say others hadn't as well.

Rose hadn't been searching for any other cars when she'd left the cotton mill. She was too focused on getting back to the estate to pack her travel bag. But she _had_ heard a door close! She'd brushed it off at first, believing Dimitri when he said no one was out there. But it was quickly looking like her hunch may have been right all along.

Rose pushed down on the accelerator harder, forcing her car into a higher gear and making it roar to life.

Normally the hum of her car's engine relaxed Rose. She would usually relax into the leather seat and let the vibrations soothe her. A little music never went wrong either. But this was a very different car trip. Instead of relaxing into her car seat, Rose's back was stiff and straight as she hugged the steering wheel. If she got into an accident, her airbag would surely kill her before the accident did she was that close.

Every time she was caught by a traffic light, she huffed impatiently and drummed her fingers on the leather. Yet somehow, despite the delays, Rose managed to shave half the time off her twenty-minute drive to Dimitri's unit. It was only as she began to pull into his street that she slowed her car down to a crawl. All that could be heard along the sleeping suburban street was the soft hum of Rose's engine as she travelled along.

When the communal letterbox came into view, Rose stopped dead in the middle of the street.

What was she _actually_ going to do if her father was there? Storm in and have the hissy fit of the century? What good could that possibly do? It would likely just piss her father off even more.

There was still a good chance that her father _wasn't even there_! And even if he _was_ , who was to say he knew about her and Dimitri?

She had to be strategic. She had to use her own father's tactics against him.

Rose veered into the narrow driveway that ran down the side of the two other townhouses in front of Dimitri's back unit. Expecting her lights to flash over the boot of a luxury SUV, she was instead greeted with the back of Dimitri's meticulously-maintained truck.

A choked laugh escaped her lips as Rose slumped forward, hanging her head between her arms as they still held the steering wheel. For ten minutes, every muscle in her body had been so stiff that she'd begun cramping.

Eventually, she lifted her head to see two black skid marks behind Dimitri's truck. _They had never been there before._ Someone had left Dimitri's in one hell of a hurry.

As much as she didn't want to, Rose could easily put two and two together. She wasn't an idiot. Turning off her car's engine, Rose cautiously got out. She walked up the three steps leading to the front door before attempting to peer between the venetian blinds covering up the window.

The closed slated blinds prevented her from seeing anything other than the dull orange glow of light, possibly a lamp. There was no sound coming from inside the unit, which was only another dire sign to Rose.

Even as Rose hesitantly reached for the door handle, she knew all that she had to. She knew that no one would be behind that door - that no one would be waiting for her.

Her fears were proven right when she entered the cold and empty unit. There were obvious signs of some sort of scuffle. Nothing fatal by the looks of it, but a couple of chairs were knocked over, and the lamp that Rose had seen through the window was hanging by its cord off the hallway stand. It wasn't until she reached the kitchen that the enormity of the situation hit her.

Her father had definitely been here. The entire kitchen _stunk_ of scotch, and Dimitri hated scotch. Shards of glass and splatters of blood were across the benchtop, and partially hidden under the debris was a note scrawled in Adrian's handwriting.

"Fuck," Rose muttered to herself. She was certain that she knew her father well enough that she could figure out the way he thought. He had never been the type to just snap and kill, evidently so, as the only blood seemed have come from a minor cut – not a gunshot wound. He was more the type to get his answers by getting into people's heads. He loved trickery – when it was in _his_ interests.

Rose was confident that no matter what had happened, Dimitri was still alive. But she had to figure out _where_ he had gone.

The villa was out of the question. There was no way Abe would run the risk of either Rose or her mother accidentally crossing him. The gym was a no go as well – too many people, and the office was in the heart of the city. There was no way he'd be able to get a 6'7 Russian all the way up to his floor without raising a few eyebrows.

There was only one logical place left. It was a long shot, and if it turned out to be wrong, Rose would have lost valuable time going out that far out. But it was worth a chance.

Bolting from the unit, Rose ran back to her car and headed to the outskirts of town where an abandoned cotton mill stood.

* * *

Dimitri thought he was dead until he opened his eyes to the sun breaking through his curtains.

The heavy feeling he remembered having in his stomach was no longer present, but that didn't stop the same heavy feeling in his head. The last thing he remembered was Abe's cold voice. To anyone listening, Abe's final words could have been easily interpreted as a death threat. Dimitri sure thought it was.

But it was so warm. Death was meant to be complete and utter darkness with a nice dose of piercing cold, not cozy blankets and sunlight.

And _certainly_ not skin against burning hot skin.

All thoughts on whether he was dreaming or dead ceased to exist the second he drank in Rose's vanilla scent. He buried his nose into the depths of her hair while tightening the grip his arm had around her stomach.

This wasn't the first time that Dimitri woke up before Rose. He could sometimes be awake for hours before she would even _begin_ to stir, just studying all the gentle features of her face and body. Quiet moments such as these, let Dimitri find everything he loved about Rose and remind himself of why he did anything for her. She was his world - his Queen. His Roza.

The smile was instantaneous as he recognized the tell-tale signs of Rose waking up. She practically purred as she burrowed herself deeper into the confines of the warm, soft blankets and Dimitri's chest before a mighty yawn escaped her. Dimitri was unable to stop himself from placing a kiss over the pulse point in her throat, pulling another purr out of Rose.

It took her a few moments, but when she was finally done stretching out her limbs and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she finally turned to face him.

The smile on her face was much the same as Dimitri's, and that physical warmth he felt over his skin became embedded in him. It was only ever that smile that he needed in his worst moments. She had the power to pull him out of any state he was in.

He leant in, brushing his lips softly over her own while securing his hand at the dip in her lower back. Now, soft kisses weren't really Rose and Dimitri's forte, and it would only take a few moments for their passion and fire to take over. But for once, that fire smouldered instead of bursting. That heat didn't explode as it normally did and only increased with each little touch.

Dimitri's hands worked around Rose's body, feeling each an every crevice of her perfect physique while her own threaded into his hair and gripped tightly. With her grip on his hair, she easily guided him atop of her so he was nestled between her thighs.

Breaking away from her lips, Dimitri worked his way across her jawline before venturing down her throat. He made sure to apply just the right amount of pressure so that the whimpers that escaped Rose were soft and desperate.

Dimitri loved having control just as much as the next guy, but his favourite view of Rose had always been from below.

Catching Rose off guard, he rolled them so that she straddled his hips and dropped the blanket from her bare shoulders. With the morning light peeking through the curtains behind her, Rose was surrounded by a warm glow which made her appear more angelic than ever. She didn't give Dimitri a chance to bask in the peace he felt. Taking her position into stride, Rose trailed hot and heavy kissed up the plains of his chest and the column of his neck. She did everything she could to get any and all sounds of pleasure out of Dimitri, and he was willingly handing them over.

It wasn't until she reached his ear that Dimitri froze. Her touch no longer felt warm and inviting, and the feeling of her chest against his own made him shiver no longer with desire. That feeling of dread had come back in full force.

He winced as Rose took the lobe of his ear into her mouth and gave it a harder than expected bite. "It's time to wake up," she whispered.

Dimitri's eyes snapped open as he was flung back into his reality. He gasped and sat up, inhaling – _water?_ – as he did and struggled to get his chattering teeth under control. His back straightened out against the wall behind him like he was waking up from a nightmare when it had, in fact, been the complete opposite.

It was cold, too cold. Any residual warmth he somehow felt from Rose's fabricated touch, dissipated from his body and was instead replaced with a coldness that seeped into his skin and right down to his bones. Water dripped down his forehead from his hair, soaking his clothes before pooling around where he sat on the equally as wet ground. _Where the hell was he?_

It all looked vaguely familiar to Dimitri for some reason, the obscene amount of concrete and steel, but he just couldn't find that missing piece. The white lights overhead practically blinded Dimitri while he blinked, causing black and white dots to dance in his vision. Was there anything more disconcerting than waking up drenched head to toe in water and with a pounding headache? Not that Dimitri knew of. He hadn't felt this foggy since the night of the bar fight where Pavel first found him.

But that wasn't the best moment for him to reminiscing. Dimitri still had to figure out where he was and _how_ the hell he had gotten there. He had no idea what was happening around him until Abe's face popped into his line of sight.

"Tell me this, Belikov-" he crouched down to Dimitri's eye level- "how old are you again?"

Dimitri groaned and rubbed the back of his very sore head. There wasn't any way he could answer the question without somehow angering Abe. It was a question designed for him to fail. "You know how old I am."

Abe grinned, teeth and all. "Indulge me."

"Twenty-six."

Straightening up from his crouching, Abe rocked in his feet with a smile on his face. "Correct me if my math is wrong, but that would make my daughter _seven years_ your junior, and also a _minor_ when you were first introduced to her."

The chill he got from hearing those words surpassed the one he got from the water. Dimitri knew that even though his boss was smiling, it was not a smile in his favour. Mainly because he was right. Rose _had_ only been seventeen when they were first introduced. She may be just shy of her nineteenth birthday now, but that wasn't the point Abe was trying to make. It would only make Dimitri look worse if he tried denying it. So he didn't bother.

"Let's cut to the chase here, Belikov. I want to know how long this little _fling_ you've been having with my daughter has been going on for."

Dimitri almost laughed in his face. _Fling_. Rose was anything but a fling. Even when Dimitri had agreed with her that's exactly what they were, she still hadn't been a fling to him. As if he would let something as precious as her out of his grasp. But she was young and she needed to make her own choices. She said they were a fling - so he'd agreed. What she did from then on was her own choice.

It just so happened, that Rose chose not to stray from Dimitri's side - and Dimitri couldn't help but rub that in a bit.

"Is this all because she chose to leave with me rather than stay with you?"

The look in Abe's eyes and the sucker-punch to Dimitri's face was enough to confirm it.

Pain exploded in Dimitri's cheek and spread all the way down his jaw. The hit had been ten times harder than he would have expected, and the pain was only amplified by his pre-existing injuries. The punch sent Dimitri flying back down to the ground and landing on his side, another part of his body that was less than intact. Pain blossomed from every single part of his body it felt like and his stomach dropped as Abe's boot came hurtling towards him.

If Dimitri's ribs weren't already broken, they definitely were now. He coughed and gasped for a moment almost wishing he _was_ dead.

But that also happened to be the moment that Hurricane Rose tore into the building.

* * *

 ** _Blood and Bones Part lll_** _(Coming Soon)_

* * *

 _One angry Mazur can be tough to handle. Two angry Mazurs is downright dangerous. Rose is finally confronting her father and declaring her relationship with Dimitri, but has it all come too late?_


End file.
